Of Mice and Men

Why does George lie about the gun?

Answers
1

Legally, George would be guilty of killing Lennie. Steinbeck wanted the reader to know that George would be able to move on without a trial. The implication here is that Lennie had stolen the gun and George had shot him in self-defense. The other men, Carlson in particular, would not question this as they felt Lennie was a killer already.